Tag Archives: jazz

(Sarasota, FL) The Jazz Club of Sarasota and the Baltimore Orioles have teamed up to present Jazz in the Ballpark on Saturday, April 22, at 7:00 p.m. at Ed Smith Stadium, 2700 12th Street. Tickets go on sale February 17th for the outdoor concert, titled “Big Band Jazz Through the Decades.” The performance will feature music of the Andrews Sisters and America’s favorite big bands from the 1940s to the present. Vocalists Michele James-Pruyn and the Swing Sisters are backed by the Sarasota Jazz Project.

Michele James-Pruyn, a native of North Carolina, has been singing and acting since the age of 15. During her career she has won dozens of vocal competitions and performed at the White House, Disneyworld and other venues throughout the world.

As “Michele and the Swing Sisters,” James-Pruyn and her friends, Kim Kollar and Cathy Noeth, have performed their cabaret act, “The Sounds of Harry James and the Andrews Sisters,” across the country for more than 17 years.
The Sarasota Jazz Project, formed in 2010, is a 17-piece big band under the direction of co-founder George McLain, who also plays tenor sax and sings. In addition to songs of the Andrews Sisters, the band will present tunes from nostalgic to newer, including songs made famous by Harry James, Glen Miller, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich, Maynard Ferguson and Tower of Power. The band will feature many of the top jazz soloists in Florida including David Pruyn on trumpet, Tony Benade on saxophone, and Greg Nielsen on trombone.

While enjoying the nostalgia, fans can feast on ballpark food including hot dogs, drinks and snacks.

Tickets are available from the Orioles beginning on February 17. Reserved seats are offered to adults at $50 (VIP), $30 and $20. Children and students may buy $20 seats for $10. “Proceeds from this exciting event will be donated to the Jazz Club Scholarship Fund, which benefits local young musicians,” said Peg Pluto, president of the Jazz Club.
For more information, please visit www.jazzclubsarasota.org.Try Amazon Music Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial

(Sarasota, FL) The Jazz Club of Sarasota will present Bill Buchman’s Art of Jazz featuring Nancy Pastore on Sunday, February 19 with a free outdoor concert from 2 to 4 p.m. in the gazebo at Centennial Park, 200 West Venice Avenue, Venice. Joining pianist Buchman and vocalist Pastore are Rob Fors on bass, Lenny Balistreri on drums and Benietsito Campoverde on congas. The concert is co-sponsored by Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

The group will perform an afternoon of jazz favorites and Buchman is sure to bring some of the boogie-woogie beat that always delights audiences.Bill Buchman (photo courtesy Carol LoRicco)
For further information visit www.jazzclubsarasota.org, phone the Jazz Club office at 941.366.1552 (Wednesday, Thursday or Friday) or email admin@jazzclubsarasota.com.

(Sarasota, FL) Sarasota favorite Cynthia Sayer makes her annual visit to the area with a performance at the Glenridge Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Feb 18th at 8PM. This year’s program is “The Hot Banjo Show” celebrating America’s jazz banjo stars, including material from the Great American Songbook, old favorites, novelty tunes, vaudeville, virtuoso classics, and more! She’ll be joined by John Orsini (reeds), Don Mopsick (string bass) and Tony Vigilant (drums).

Buddy Greco was a talented musician and singer who started his career with the Benny Goodman Band and branched out to a highly successful solo career with many hit songs. He passed away at age 90 yesterday.